The future of the Amazon uncertain

For ten years, the fate of Brazil’s forests have hung in the balance as the future of the Forest Code has been up for grabs. We’ve see the debate over the law come to a head over the last few years, as the agribusiness sector pressed the Congress for major changes to the law and the scientific community and 80% of the public opposed drastic changes to the law.

Today, President Dilma has ignored the call of the people of Brazil and taken final steps to approve a new law that opens the Amazon up for destruction.

President Dilma Rouseff announced today, approval of the provisional measures of the new Forest Code with 9 partial vetoes, making the law that has protected the Amazon for almost 70 years a thing of the past, paving the way for new areas of expansion for the agribusiness sector and granting amnesty for past forest criminals. Vetoes sound like a a drastic measure but in reality they will do nothing new to protect the Amazon.

With deforestation rates over the past few months higher than last year and with not one new provision for Amazon protection or to fight deforestation in the new Forest Code, Brazilians are taking action. In March, a petition for a zero deforestation law in Brazil was launched.

Just a few months later, over 600,000 people have signed onto the citizen’s initiative. According to Brazil’s laws, if 1.4 million people support the Zero Deforestation inititive, it could become law.